The present invention generally relates to a control handle assembly for a walk-behind mobile vehicle or machine, particularly to a handle assembly including a fixed handle for steering the mobile vehicle or machine and a control portion moveable relative to the handle for controlling an operative function of the mobile vehicle or machine, and specifically to a handle assembly including a flexible extension extending between the fixed handle and the moveable control portion and over the separation therebetween.
In walk-behind mobile vehicles or machines, an operator grips a handle for steering the vehicle or machine and simultaneously must control an operative function of the mobile vehicle or machine. As an example, in the case of floor scrubbers, the speed at which the floor scrubber traverses the floor is desired to be adjusted during operation to slow the floor scrubber at heavy soiled areas requiring more aggressive scrubbing and to increase the speed of the floor scrubber at lesser soiled areas where minimal scrubbing is needed. Floor scrubbers include solution and recovery tanks full of cleaning and recovered solutions and often include batteries as a source of power such that they are relatively heavy which increases the steering difficulty. Additionally, the scrubbing member or the like of the floor scrubber may tend to force the floor scrubber in unintended directions in normal operation. Thus, it is necessary for the operator to tightly grip the handle to steer the floor scrubber while simultaneously moving a switch portion to control the speed of the floor scrubber. Typically, the switch portion is operated by the thumb(s) of the operator while the handle is being gripped and steered by the user's hands. Thus, the hands and especially the thumbs of the operator become quickly fatigued.
Similar problems may occur in other types and forms of walk-behind mobile vehicles or machines. Thus, a need exists for a handle assembly allowing simultaneous steering and function control which does not result in operator fatigue, which overcomes other problems and deficiencies in prior handle assemblies, and which is otherwise advantageous over prior handle assemblies for walk-behind mobile vehicles or machines.